bag lady

Tags

bag ladies, bags, brown suitcase, clothing, mary poppins, miscellaneous, random, style, thoughts

Shoes may be my ultimate passion but my love for bags is not far behind. Even as a little blonde, curly haired girl I would rarely leave the house with out a collection of luggage.

Before I had a schoolbag I would lug around plastic bags filled with ‘scraps of important papers’, handbags stuffed with tissues, coloured pens and purses, mostly empty or filled with fake money. I even owned  a little brown suitcase, my ‘bumper-case’, which would bump against my knees as I walked, hence the name.  This little suitcase was a prized possession and came with me wherever I went. It was filled with loved objects and toys, papers and books and my favorite dolls clothes. For a while it even lived under the bed, ready for me to grab, in case the house burnt down or I needed to make a quick get-a-way.

I may no longer have an ’emergency pack’ under the bed, and the things I deem important definitely have changed, but my bag lady instincts are still very much intact. I am always carrying stuff around with me, and my belief is that a bag can never be too big.

I marvel at those women who survive with tiny clutches and miniature shoulder bags and I am in awe of those rare ladies who seem to exist perfectly out of their pockets. While I do find it very unattractive to have bulging bumps sticking out of peoples jacket, jeans and shirts, I still don’t know how they do it.

After all the minimum amount I need is this: my purse filled with money and cards, my glasses in a case, tissues (I always have a runny nose), a book/magazine, a notepad and pen (I am a writer after all), my phone, my calendar and a little pouch filled with toiletries (well, cream really a I have eczema) and of course my keys.

In addition to the essentials comes what ever I need for the day, college paperwork, laptop, lecturing notes, a variety of pens, a flask of tea and a bottle of water, snacks and fruit, a bag for the shopping,  maybe a cardigan etc. So I normally leave the house laden down like a pack mule.

I’ll never be a minimalist and maybe by lugging around all these items I am carrying a little bit of home with me, in true bag lady style. And I don’t really have a problem with it either, but on day like today, when I need to pack for the weekend, my overnight case and the amount of things I want to bring never seem a perfect match. And in moments like these I dream of Mary Poppins and her wonderful carpet bag, wondering where I could get one of those.